FIAT 130hp 1907

[Taffy]

The report is again divided into several parts, I hope all pictures are displayed correctly this time...

After the Renault, the next Edwardian was about to be built.
George Turner has the kit of a FIAT on offer, which is formally based on the FIAT 130hp from 1907.
In the years up to and including 1906, the 90 hp Renault could not be given water by any of the FIAT models, the regulations changed for 1907. The previous weight limit fell, instead a consumption limit of 30 liters per 100 kilometers was introduced.
For the new regulations, FIAT developed a new, 130 hp four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 16 liters. The racing car that was built around it was then able to win the French Grand Prix under Felice Navarro in 1907, in addition to the Targa Florio and the Kaiserpreis races.
There are a number of pictures of the vehicle on the Internet, some of them original photos from the time, some of them from the existing museum vehicle, as well as a large number of pictures of the kit / model made by Pocher on a 1: 8 scale. So there is no shortage of good documentation.
Here a picture of the existing original vehicle, as shown on http://www.grandprixhistory.com:

I won't describe some of the construction in detail, because the process is identical to the Renault, but there is still enough left...

Here is a fairly early version to get started:



The chassis is already assembled, red paint everywhere, where it belongs and doesn't belong, and the detailing begins.
On the body I have removed the splash guard attached to the side (which is in thin resin) to change this with original black model leather.
As a result, I also removed the additional fuel pump on the left side of the splash guard, which had to be operated by the mechanic, because it was pointing in the wrong direction on the kit.
I also removed the front crossbar on the chassis, which did not exist on the FIAT (see above). Unlike the pictures of the existing original, I will not paint the area behind the bonnet in "polished aluminum", but painted red. At least that is what pictures of the vehicle from that time suggest…
At the back I didn't like the solution with the tire resin parts used as spare wheels (as can also be seen on the Renault), this time I wanted to make it a bit more prototypical. So I bent and soldered brackets similar to the original from copper wire, which I attached to the body with 2K adhesive. With a pin it engages in a corresponding hole on the right and left of the chassis.



In the original, the spring packages of the suspension are wrapped with grease-soaked cord. I was able to implement that at least on the front axle, the spring package is cast onto the frame at the rear, so it is not possible to wrap any cord around. Color will fix it ...



Here then already painted:

[Taffy]

Because I like to torture myself, I have already bent the copper fuel lines running on both sides of the body, using, what else, bent copper wire and at the same time corrected the alignment of the additional fuel pump.
However, these lines are only attached at the very end.





Then I removed the attachment for the resine crank, which is unfortunately always in the radiator of George Turner's Edwardian models, and made a more model-like construction of bent stainless steel wire (for the struts) and a thin brass tube (this will run later the shaft of the starter crank).
In addition, I threw something with thinned black acrylic paint around me for the purpose of weathering ...

Unfinished in this way the car was able to win its first race!
Well, the weight and center of gravity advantage due to the missing driver figures has of course done its part ...





Now I made the starter crank like on the Renault. Here again the comparison between the kit part and the one I built:



Built-in:



Then I added a little more detail to the “cockpit” by punching out the “instrument housing” with the punch pliers from an old bicycle tube, painting the edges, putting a decal on it, voilà:



I finished the left side first, so attached the leather mud flaps with pins and glued the fuel line…

[Taffy]

The paint damage on the passenger seat was caused by the adaptation of the figure, is later covered by the mechanic´s arm and therefore remains that way.

Here the driver's side: also the splash guard attached, fuel line and gear lever.





A view from above through the replacement tubes:



Finally, a retaining strap was made for the hand crank, analogous to the strap on the Renault:
clasp made of copper wire soldered, straps cut, threaded ... cursed ... until the strap was finally in place.



In contrast to the Renault, I wanted to achieve a more dynamic posture for the driver and mechanic. Both should turn around, the mechanic stronger, because he had to watch out for the traffic behind, because the rear-view mirror had not yet been invented at the time.
So the Siamese twins (one-piece figure) first had to be cut in two by sawing, then I carefully separated the upper body and arms of the mechanic's lower body.
The left arm, which was supposed to be supported on the outside of the seat, also needed some attention with the saw.
For the heads I used two Immense Miniatures products that a friend recently sent me from the United States.
I glued a sturdy nylon thread between the upper body and abdomen of the passenger (our street broom is now a little plucked), so that I could adjust the figure in the posture.





Then I inserted 2-component adhesive between the upper and lower body to stabilize it and filled the rest with model construction putty.
I also modeled the jacket collars with this putty and then primed the figures with matte black color.



After another day of work, the figures were painted and placed.
The Fiat is now finished except for the decals. But since they will only come in a few weeks (Microsale letters coming from the US), I'll show you the preliminary official final result here:



I come to the final conclusion when the decals are attached!

Best regards,
Taffy

[Taffy]

I apologize, this is the right link to the picture on grandprixhistory.ORG :

Fiat 130hp

[EM]

Beautifully done and with that difficult to describe but very important "something extra" that goes beyond accurate modelling and evokes the spirit of the prototype.

EM

[Taffy]

Thank you very much, EM!

[Taffy]

I just happened to come across an old photo...

[grosbig]

gorgeous cars and splendid job ....
Thanks a lot .
I must begin my "victorians" as soon as possible .

[Taffy]

Hello, grosbig!

Yes, in my opinion, these kits are worth every penny you spend for it

Best regards, Taffy

[Taffy]

Since I hate loose ends, here's a final update.
After it took more than two months to get the decals from the USA, more time passed over the summer with unnecessary activities, such as going on vacation and tinkering with the motorbikes, until I finally started applying the decals at the beginning of October. It was a pretty nerve-wracking job, because the decals didn't quite fit and had to be edited quite extensively. The “F” ultimately consists of three parts, and for the “2” I had to replace the curved underscore with a straight one made from an “L”. Quite a fiddly thing. To make matters worse, the adhesive strength of the decals was also very weak, so that when I (after sufficient drying time!) applied the sealant with the (water-based) floor gloss, the decals began to float apart. So again new. At some point, three hours had passed, all the decals were where they belonged and neatly sealed. So this is what it looks like now:

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Before the last race event last Saturday, which the Fiat narrowly won, one last job was necessary: the two dental rubbers that held the spare tires are practical because they can be removed quickly, but they do not look as good as the chic leather strap that holds the starter crank. So I quickly soldered two buckles made of copper wire, cut straps from artificial leather and glued them to the buckles.

The Fiat has already had a few successful races and is photographed as it came from the last race. The Fiat is the car that took the longest time to complete (apart from the many interrupted or canceled projects in boxes and crates). On the track, however, it makes a lot of fun.

Best regards,

Taffy

[David Mitcham]

Splendid Taffy. It really captures the character of the era and your modifications to the GTM kit are excellent and enhance an already first rate model..

Best wishes

David

[Taffy]

Thank you very much, David